Jim Yong Kim's lighter side

President Barack Obama’s decision to pick Dartmouth President Jim Yong Kim took many by surprise, considering that Kim isn’t a regular in Washington circles.

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“Dr. Kim’s name was closely held and not among those widely bandied about since Mr. Zoellick announced his plans to move on,” the New York Times wrote in its story on nomination.

”At this moment, across Washington, hundreds of surprised reporters and government aides are Googling ‘Jim Yong Kim’ to find out who he is,” joked Washingtonian magazine editor Garrett Graff on Twitter.

Kim’s been president at Dartmouth since 2009 and is a former director at the World Health Organization and the co-founder of Partners in Health, which provides health services to the poor. But career accomplishments aside, what about his lighter side? In a “Greenroom” online-only video interview he did during an appearance on “The Charlie Rose Show” in March, Kim opened up about less weighty matters.

His first job: “[A]s a waiter in a restaurant in my little town in Muscatine, Iowa.”

Favorite book: “The Miracle of Mindfulness” by Thich Nhat Han. “It was about a practice in which one can be deeply passionate and compassionate toward those who are suffering. This is a monk who was very active in the struggles against the Vietnam War when he was in Vietnam.”

Childhood dream: To be quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings or the Chicago Bears.

Best career advice: “If somebody asks you to look at a really important job, even if you don’t think you’re right for the job and even if you’re not sure that they’ll offer you the job, I was told by my mentor that you should always go talk to those people. And the reason is because, even if they don’t offer you the job, even if you don’t take the job, you’ll learn something, but more importantly, you’ll help them understand what they really want. That’s how I got the job at Dartmouth College. I had very little sense that they would ever offer me the job, and I went there really as a service to the school. I was hoping that I could help them think more clearly about who they really wanted, and ultimately they choose me.”

Career high: “The high point was when we started receiving support, first from George Soros who gave us our first grants [to battle tuberculosis] and then we received a huge grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.” Kim’s tenure at Dartmouth appears to have been viewed positively by the student body: The college’s student newspaper, The Dartmouth, reported in August 2011 that “Out of 230 students interviewed by The Dartmouth, 118, or 51 percent, said they approved of College President Jim Yong Kim’s performance in his first two years as president.” 14 percent of those interviewed disapproved.

During Kim’s tenure, The Dartmouth brought to light some interesting connections between Kim and Obama:

When asked his opinion of President Barack Obama’s health care legislation, Kim said he agreed with some aspects of the program, but that he did not think that it places nearly enough emphasis on health care delivery.

He encouraged the participants of the $300 House Project to remain positive throughout their endeavor, despite negative comments or claims of impossibility, reminding them that, in the words of President Barack Obama, “there’s no such thing as false hope.”

Oh, and since Dartmouth was the inspiration, in part, for “Animal House,” Kim weighed in on that, too.

“Kim said that he read Chris Miller’s book ‘The Real Animal House,’” The Dartmouth reported in 2009, “and has even learned the rules of pong, although he has yet to play.”

“People will drink, but drinking in moderation and in a way that allows you to continue to create good judgments is possible,” said Kim. “I’m a public health physician, so I’ve got to tell you what the data says.”